Galician pancakes: the authentic homemade recipe

Discover the traditional recipe for Galician pancakes (filloas), a homemade sweet full of flavour. Learn how to prepare them step by step with authentic ingredients.

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Milk pancakes: an option for enjoying Galician tradition

Galician pancakes are a typical Galician dessert that can be enjoyed anywhere, and can even be prepared at home. Considered the ‘first cousins’ of the French crêpes, they differ from the latter in that they are much thinner. Although they were traditionally made with pig’s blood, they’ve long been known as filloas de leche (milk pancakes), so even the more squeamish can rest assured about their ingredients.

Especially popular during Carnival, these pancakes are usually prepared in iron pans or filloeiras, which allows you to make several at once. At home, the most common method is to cook them in a non-stick frying pan around 24 centimetres in diameter. Let’s take a look at how to make Galician filloas, pancakes that win over anyone who tries them.

Ingredients for the pancakes

Here are the ingredients for making the pancakes:

400 ml whole milk
100 ml water
3 medium eggs
200 g wheat flour
1 pinch of salt
1 tablespoon of sugar
1 piece of pork fat without lean meat

How to make the pancakes step-by-step

The pancake recipe is easy and simple. Here is how to make them step-by-step:

First, prepare the amoado, which is the name given to the liquid batter used to make the pancakes. To do this, mix the milk, water, eggs, salt and sugar in a bowl. Next, gradually add the flour while continuing to whisk. You can use a whisk or a hand blender, but the aim is to achieve a relatively runny batter with no lumps. Then, let it rest in a cool place for at least an hour. This step is essential for the batter to achieve the desired texture.
Heat the frying pan and grease it with the fat. Then, add a small amount of the batter and move it in a circular motion so that the bottom is well covered. The coating must be thin—this is important! As soon as you see the edges separate from the pan or bubbles start to appear, turn it over and leave it a little longer to cook on the other side. It shouldn’t be too browned, so we can use a minute for the first side and about half a minute for the second side as a reference.
Repeat the process, greasing the frying pan each time to prevent the pancakes from sticking.
Finally, place them on a cloth to cool before stacking them (if we stack them on top of each other, we run the risk of them sticking together). Serve and enjoy!

What can we serve Galician pancakes with?

These pancakes can be eaten on their own, rolled up with a teaspoon of sugar or served with custard, honey or jam. They can also be combined with savoury ingredients.